“If you build it, he will come” is a quote from the movie Field of Dreams.
For those unfamiliar with the movie, an Iowa corn farmer builds a baseball field and deceased ball players venture out of the corn stalks to play. It may work in Hollywood, but this doesn’t apply when you are designing a phone application.
To encourage people to download and then use apps, you will need realistic ways to attract users to the online playing field.
Though 88% of the time on mobile devices is spent on apps, you still need ways to reduce the noise so that your app is downloaded. You want the people in your town to benefit from all your mobile app has to offer. You just have to find the best ways to get the word out.
If the members of your community discover all the advantages of the information you are providing, the application will be successful and your town will thrive.
Here are 10 effective ways to attract users to your phone application:
1. Leverage social media platforms
Whether you are using Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or any other social media platform, it’s a great place to tell the members of your community about your mobile application. Posting messages in shared groups and on personal and business pages will start the buzz.
Each Business Improvement District (BID) or Special Improvement District (SID) might have a digital page where they can promote the app. The municipality may create a separate page on its website or create a sidebar with information about the application.
Using social media to get the town excited about having a new mobile app exclusively for their community is a highly effective way to attract users.
2. Promote exclusive coupons on the app
Advertising the app on social media is a good starting point, but what if elite coupons and discounts were only available through your mobile app? This would encourage people to download the app and take advantage of the promotions. Who doesn’t love a good deal and enjoy a bargain?
Plus, you feel special when you have something exclusive to you, a bonus that isn’t available to everyone else.
Creating coupons and discounts attainable only to app users will encourage people in your town to download and use the app.
3. Create a campaign and encourage participation
In addition to exclusive coupons and discounts, you might consider launching a campaign to drive people to the app. This could be a recurring theme, perhaps featuring a specific business each month. Your community may wait in anticipation to discover which business is highlighted.
You could allow the people in the town to vote and select the winning business. This will drive engagement and get the neighborhood excited to see who the winner will be.
There is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition that inspires participation and creates suspense.
4. Stay up-to-date with community events
Your community might enjoy participating in a campaign and attending neighborhood events. With the ability to sign up for push notifications and event reminders, the community members will be informed and avoid missing out on any activities.
MyDowntown Mobile® has an event listing feature that can be populated so people can stay up to date with what’s going on around town.
5. Register to win prizes
Not only do people in the community like to be informed about local events, but they might also enjoy winning prizes. Giving away a small gift could entice people to download the app. Or perhaps the registration would enroll the person in a monthly drawing to win a prize.
Offering dinner for two or a family pizza is a minor investment to encourage the neighborhood members to start using the app and grow your audience.
6. Encourage local businesses to participate
To further encourage the community to participate to win prizes, you could ask local businesses to promote the app. Your town could reward the business based on the volume of people that downloaded from their location. Each business would have a different QR code, link or barcode to use to identify who enticed the app usage.
This would give extra incentive for the business to participate, promoting themselves as well as the town as a whole.
7. Enlist the assistance of influencers
In addition to local businesses, each town has movers and shakers. Whether it’s the head of the PTA or an active member of the local religious organization, some people can influence others. By approaching the influencers to partner with and help promote the app, you’ll be able to reach a larger audience.Community leaders can inspire people to benefit from the app.
Real estate agents might also be able to influence users of the app, especially if they are selling homes to people new to the community. It’s a great way to learn about the neighborhood and local businesses.
8. Publicize the app in the media
Though word of mouth from active community members can be effective, publicizing in the media can increase app usage. When Glassboro started working with MyDowntown Mobile®, the town had a press release as well as information front and center on its website.
News articles about the app and its benefits, as well as highlighting any prize and featured business winners in the local paper, will inspire usage.
9. Print flyers, posters and other signage
Along with featured articles in the media to attract users to your mobile app, printed signs and posters can also encourage usage. These can be attached to phone poles, hung at the local library and community center and displayed in neighborhood businesses.
Though you want to entice people to use a mobile app, the older community members might appreciate the traditional printed method.
Stickers and lawn signs can even be printed to show the people who joined the movement and downloaded the app. Doing so would create a wholesome sense of community.
10. Optimize the mobile application
Printing is a great way to attract people to use the app. Still, if the app isn’t easy to use and user-friendly, it will be difficult for the community to continue its usage. Applications like those developed by MyDowntown Mobile® are accessible and operate on multiple platforms.
Making the application simple to use and customized for your town allows even the senior members of the community to enjoy it—bringing together townspeople from all generations.
Attract users to your phone application
Just building the mobile app isn’t enough. You will need marketing and communication to get the word out into the community. You can start spreading information and generating interest through social media, print and local newspapers. Enlisting active members of the community and local businesses to help advertise will also encourage people to use the app.
By running campaigns, competitions and drawings, you can inspire engagement from the neighborhood. Promoting events and creating exclusive discounts and coupons are all ways to attract users to your town’s phone app. With 49% of people opening an app 11+ times each day, usage of mobile phone applications will only increase. Is your town on the app?
If you are interested in more details about how this app can make your town more vibrant and how you can attract more users, schedule a Free 30-Minute Consultation.
